Promise
by Daerunia
Summary: He promised to give her the only thing she really wanted. So she waits. Rebirth Fic.
1. Rose Petals on the Road

**Promise**

_-Prologue-_**  
**_~Rose Petals on the Road~_

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_Disclaimer: I do not own Angel Beats, nor am I gaining any profit from this fanfiction. _

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_'I'd be playing baseball and hit a pop-fly into your window on accident. I would knock at the door and be greeted by your mother, and of course go up to your room to apologize. That's when I'd see you there. Of course, we'd start talking and it would be so much fun that I would come back, and start helping to take care of you. That's how we'd meet...'_

_ "_Y-you promised..." A thin voice rose from the throat of the crumpled female, though this short sentence had gone unnoticed to the white-clad humans hurrying about her. It was strange to be hurting so badly. To be broken and not feel the effects of death reversing themselves like they had done in the place known as 'Battlefront.' Of course, a more proper term might be "Purgatory" or "In-Between," but to them, it had always been a place of war and lively action. A place of injury, of fighting, of senseless bickering, and yet, belonging.

But for Yui, and perhaps the others, that horrible, short enigma known as Human Life had started over. It was strange having a different mother and a different home, yet memories of the events that led to her arrival at Battlefront.

That was it; her chance to start over. After all, that was what she wanted. Fulfillment. Satisfaction. Happiness. These were things that she didn't have due to the accident that crippled her from the neck down and took away what millions every day took for granted. They could walk and run and wave their arms. They could express themselves through body language when they were passionate about something. They could wrap their arms around the ones they cared about. And since Yui's rebirth, she could do those things also. But that wasn't what she wanted anymore.

Her red eyes were losing their light, yet there was a smile on her blood-streaked face. In Battlefront, there was something else she took for-granted. A person. And although she could play guitar and hit home runs in her new life, it seemed meaningless when compared to the promise that person had made to her.

"Did anyone get the tag number of that vehicle?"

"No sir, there was only one witness and-..."

"I swear, she jumped right out in front of them!"

"-Do you think it was an attempt at suicide?"

"No, I know her, she would never-..."

Voices surrounded her, filling her ears with a thin and comfortable hum. This was a new life, but it was just like before. Everyone panicked as she lay there dying. But this time, the pain wasn't going to be fruitless. She knew the gain that would restore what she was going to lose. Yui was ready. She seemed too tired to close her eyes as her vision turned a brilliant red. It was beautiful; as if the world had been dyed the bright ruby red of a rose in bloom.

Through the roar of the bystanders and the wail of sirens and her mother, Yui's thin voice rose.

"_Hinata... Hideki Hinata... I'll be waiting for you... to fulfill your promise..." _

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_A/N- Yes, it's a tad short, but this is our prologue! Any feedback whatsoever is completely welcome! Thank you for reading everyone~!  
_


	2. Rose Petals and Recovery

**Promise**

_-Chapter One-_**  
**_~Rose Petals and Recovery~  
_

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_Disclaimer:__ I do not own Angel Beats, nor am I gaining any profit from this fanfiction._

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"Ms. Takamura? Your mother and sister have come to visit you." The head nurse spoke quietly into the dark room, concerned that the young girl would be sleeping at the time. She half hoped she would; Takamura Yui hadn't closed her eyes since she blacked out on the pavement at the accident. That was two days ago, and the girl only lay awake, watching television or reading manga books that another young nurse brought her.

"Thank you, send them in, please!" Yui's sing-song voice called back, causing the head nurse's heart to sink a bit. She was most certainly going to have to speak with Yui about how important sleep was to the human body. With a light sigh, she turned, a clipboard pressed against her considerable bosom as she approached the front desk of the recovery ward. Her white slippers were soundless; so many patients had complained about hearing the nurses "stomp" around at night that she had to change the dress code. Sick people were very picky.

Still waiting by the front desk were the members of Yui's little party; her mother, Rina Takamura, was a pretty blonde woman with a pale face and a habit of wringing her hands when she got nervous. Yui's sister, Kait, was the spinning image of Yui, with her dark magenta locks and bright red eyes. She was also her exact opposite from what people said; Yui was quiet and brooding whilst Kait was bouncy and lively.

Rina's green eyes shot up, and she let out a tiny gasp at the sight of the approaching head nurse."Oh, Doctor-..."

Quickly the woman raised a hand, silencing the concerned mother. "Now, now. I'm no doctor. Only a nurse. And please, call me Haruka. We'll be getting to know each other pretty well for the next few weeks whilst your daughter recovers, so we might as well speak on friendly terms. If you will, please follow me."

As the three women proceeded down the silent hallway, Haruka wondered momentarily where Mr. Takamura was. She hadn't seen him at all, though Rina wore a wedding band on her left hand. As a matter of fact, he wasn't at the accident, either...

"Right there, ma'am. Room 14. I have a patient to take care of, but if you need anything at all, simply buzz and another nurse on duty will be right with you, okay?"

"Thank you, Haruka-san..." Clearly the woman's mind was otherwise occupied; she dashed into the room, running to her daughter's bedside with a choked sob. Haruka shook her head; it was hard to see families reunited for the first time after a tragedy. She cringed as she imagined the doctor's predicament; he would be the one having to tell Mrs. Takamura that Yui would most likely never move her legs again. She wondered, briefly, if the doctor would tell her the rest...

* * *

Yui was staring at herself in the mirror across her hospital room as the head nurse went to fetch her family. Not without a bit of pain, she raised her right hand to brush aside a stray strand of deep-pink hair from her fair cheeks. A smile crossed her features as she thought about her previous life.

Back then, Yui had been flat-chested, and hated it so much. Before her first accident, she was sure no boy would ever be attracted to her girlish frame. She was so young looking, even at sixteen. Even though she'd been dealt another hand, she still looked young, but at least didn't look like a ten year old at the age of fifteen as she had before. Not that it mattered how she looked. -He- promised to love her anyways.

"Oh, my Yui!" Came a strangled cry. Yui was startled; she had been lost in thought and hadn't even heard her mother approaching. Mother... she bit her lip as she looked at this woman. Her mother in her previous life was kind and strong, with plain features and a good heart. This woman, though she did give birth to Yui, concerned her. Could she handle the burden that Yui was about to become? Would she take care of her every day, and still love her even though she would become such a hassle? Deep down, she disliked this woman. These past two sleepless nights, she had cried, thinking of how much she had missed her first mother... the one she called her "real" mother. But wasn't this woman just as real?

But then there was her little sister. Yui had previously been an only child. She had never gotten the chance to be a big sister. In Battlefront, she was always considered the "little sister", which meant all of the teasing and babying and ranting from Yuri and Iwasawa... Her heart ached as she remembered them both. But now it was her turn, and she loved this little girl more than anything in any lifetime. Kait was her world, and she hoped that one day she would be able to tell her about all of her memories. Her past life, Battlefront... she wanted to share that with her. But now wasn't the time. She was only twelve, and more interested in boys and homework than tales of the corrupt afterlife.

"No I get to hug her first!" Kait slipped around her mother and flew at Yui's bed, arms wide open. Though Yui's arms were working, she was too weak to raise them, but leaned in to allow her sister to hug her.

"Kait, stop that, please. This is a serious situation and you don't need to be so rambunctious..." Rina choked back a sob weakly. Tears were streaming down her face as she stared at the scratched and bruised face of her oldest child. "Oh, my Yui! Look at you, you're a mess!"

"I know," was all she could muster to say. When her "real" mother had seen her, she cried, but told Yui that no matter what happened, she was still beautiful and strong. And that they were going to get through it together. She felt a burning anger; this "fake" woman was weak. Yui bit her lip as she considered what she had done. Would he really come? Would he save her from this? Or should she jump in front of another car and hope she kicked the bucket this time? This new hand was an awful one, but it wasn't right to throw away life like that. She would stick it out and wait for him, she decided.

"How are you feeling, Yui, dear? The head nurse-..."

"Haruka, Mommy! She said call her Haruka!" Kait interrupted, raising a finger in a matter-of-fact manner as she corrected. Yui smiled once more; it was like looking into a mirror to her previous life.

"Hush, Kait, please!" Rina shook her head. She looked fatigued, exhausted with worry and, no doubt, medical bills. "Anyways, do you need anything, anything at all? Just tell me and I'll go get it, okay?"

"I don't need anything, Mother. Please, go home and go to sleep, okay? The doctor's don't need your help and I don't want you to worry yourself sick. You need to be able to work." Yui spoke quietly.

Yui was half expecting Rina to argue that, but the woman gave a forlorn nod. "You're right. I will need the extra money..." So Yui was right, they were tight for money. She felt a bit bad, but at least she wouldn't be around forever.

"Aww! But we just got here, Mommy! I don't wanna leave Yui alone!" Kait pouted, puffing out her cheeks. "Can I stay, please? Please?"

"No, we need to go, Kait. Yui needs rest!"

"But Yui said YOU need rest, not HER! Please, Mommy, I'll be really good!" Kait pleaded, clinging to Yui's hand and her mother's sleeve simultaneously.

"Can she stay?" Yui spoke up, giving her mother a pleading look.

Rina seemed a bit at a loss. She opened her mouth to speak, but instead shook her head, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "If that's what you want. Be good, Kait, Daddy will come by to pick you up when he gets off of work."

"M'kay!" She chirped, climbing carefully up onto the bed with Yui. "So does it hurt?" She began to ask a million questions, though Yui never minded.

As the minutes passed, Yui found herself staring out the window more and more. Though she could barely see it from the hospital, there was a ball-park a couple blocks away. She wondered... could a pop-fly really fly that far?

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_A/N- Another introductory-type chapter. Please read and review~! Pretty soon things will be picking up. Suggestions welcome~!_


	3. Rose Petals on the Floor

**Promise**

_-Chapter Two-_**  
**_~Rose Petals on the Floor~_

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_Disclaimer:__I do not own Angel Beats, nor am I gaining any profit from this fanfiction._

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_Author's Note- Before I start I'd like to thank Chaoscrazy. Sixth Candle, Rk. zeph, and a Guest for reviewing~! Thank you guys so much for the feedback, I greatly appreciate it!_

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'Finally, my shift is over.' Haruka Kumori ran her forearm over her forehead as she walked down the hallway filled with sleeping patients. The young woman had been working so hard lately; it seemed as if she never got a break. She wondered briefly if her son and husband had already gone to bed; lately her boy had taken to staying up to wait for her. It was kind of him, but he was a high schooler now, and with all of that work, it wasn't good for him to be staying up so late. Yet still, he wanted to wait and hear her stories about work. Though he was only in tenth grade, he seemed to have a passion for the medical field already.

A smile crossed her features as she thought fondly of her family; so kind and understanding. Her hand was reaching out towards the steel door that separated the waiting rooms for the patients' families when someone grabbed her shoulder.

Haruka let out a scream as she whipped around, her orange-dyed locks slipping from the clip she always wore it in. A figure stood behind her; a tall, black enigma that seemed featureless in the deep darkness of the hallway behind it. "W-who-..."

"Forgive me. You are the nurse in charge here? I came to pick up my daughter." A deep voice rumbled as Haruka's heart slowly began to fall into its regular pace. Now that she wasn't so frightened, she could see him clearly. Before her stood a tall man with short, chestnut colored hair. His sharp features led her to pin his nationality as North-American Indian or perhaps Greek; either way, his face was sharp, almost shocking at first sight. He wore a neat suit, and had a briefcase clasped in his right hand. The A-typical businessman.

"Your... daughter?" Haruka blinked, feeling quite stupid. But the patients here were inpatients, they couldn't just leave. And she couldn't think of any patient that looked anything like him.

He heaved an exasperated sigh, rubbing his temples as if dealing with someone so simple gave him a headache. Haruka was quite offended by this; after all, he was the one who had startled her out of her wits!

"My daughter, Yui was in an accident. My wife called and said that my youngest kid was staying here with her. Kait. Last name Takamura?"

"Oh!" She had forgotten that young Kait had been with her sister. Last she had seen them, Kait was asleep in the hospital bed, pressed against her sister's side. Haruka had offered to move her, but Yui protested, saying that she wasn't hurting her injured body. "Yes, excuse me. If you'll follow me, I'll go get h-..."

His voice interrupted, so cold and deep. "No. I am perfectly capable of walking down the hall and retrieving her myself. Which room is it?"

"Fourteen, sir." Haruka's eyes narrowed; this man was beginning to get on her bad side. "Please, no visitors are allowed at this hour, so you might want to get her as quickly and quietly as possible."

"That shouldn't be a problem. After all, if everyone else here has an attention span similar to yours, I'll be perfectly fine stomping down the halls as loud as I can. I walked right by you, didn't I?" His empty hand fell on his hip as he wore a mocking smirk.

'Is this man serious? His daughter was in a life threatening accident and yet here he is trying to irritate me! What a bastard!' Haruka thought as she resisted the urge to snap at him. She would most certainly get in trouble for that; however, and simply turned away. "If you'll excuse me. My shift is over and the doctor will be coming in only a few seconds. I'm sure he'll want to talk to you, so perhaps you -should- stick around. Maybe you need to hear the severity of the situation first hand."

"I believe I know the situation better than anyone else, ma'am." His smirk melted into a frown. He also turned away, taking quiet steps down the hallway whilst peering into each open door with curious eyes. As a lawyer, he saw cases like this all the time. People hit by cars, people hurt during war overseas, people just born unfortunate. He had to represent them and point the blame at the defendant. And he was damn good at it. As a matter of fact, blaming someone else seemed to be his calling in life. It was always the other person's wrong-doing. Someone screwed up somewhere. There was no such thing as an accident in Brutus Takamura's eyes.

He was teased lightly when he first started working. A Latin first name, but a Japanese last name? Regardless of his lineage, most thought his first name didn't suit him. He wasn't simple or slow or violent like his name suggested. Brutus was a kind and caring man who listened to his clients' cases and sincerely worked to help them. At work, at least.

He eased open the door to Room Fourteen. There were his children, curled up in the hospital bed. Kait was sleeping heavily, but Yui seemed to be simply dozing. He sat his briefcase down, crossing his arms.

"Kait. Let's go." He spoke from across the room. At the sound of her father's voice, the young female nearly jumped awake. Kait's sudden movement elicited a moan of pain from the drowsy Yui, which caused Kait to hop to the floor and grab her sister's petite hand.

"Yui! Yui, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Please don't be mad at me!" Already the pink-haired youngster was on the verge of tears, yet no one had even scolded her.

"Don't worry, it's fine. My medicine's wearing off, okay? Don't worry, you didn't do anything!" Yui patted her sister's head, calming the girl instantly.

"Clumsy." Mr. Takamura spoke, growing more impatient by the second. "Damn it, Kait, let's go!" His voice had taken on a dangerous edge.

"Oh, sorry Daddy!" Kait whimpered, turning back to her sister and throwing her small arms around her. "Bye Yui. I promise I'll be back RIGHT after school tomorrow, okay? I'll be here every day and I'll tell you about everything I hear!"

"I said let's go, you're wasting time and we need to get the hell out of here before we miss the bus; you know damn well my car is in the-..."

As Yui watched, the world around her seemed to freeze. 'No,' she realized, 'not frozen, but slowed down.'

Her father had reached forward and grabbed Kait by the arm, pulling on her. Then came the crash; a loud crash that echoed in her head; surely it was breaking glass! Surely it was 'him'! Yui's head whipped towards the window, expecting to see a baseball. Finally, finally! He had kept his promise! She was free!

But there was no baseball. There was a frame where the glass had been, but no white sphere. Glass shimmered as it seemed to float in the air, slowly approaching her face. She glanced towards her father and sister, wondering if they had seen such a phenomenon. They were both flying backwards, as if a strong punch to the gut had effected them both. Yui cocked her head; what was going on?

And then droplets of red splashed across her features, and she understood. Yui had experienced this slowing of time twice, both times when she had been hit. It was that moment in one's life when an event was taking place so awful; so horrible that the cruel world nearly stopped on its axis just to let one linger in the agony for a few moments. But now, time had caught up.

"Dad? Kait?" Yui began to panic as her sister crumpled to the ground. She looked up to her father for answers, only to see him clasp a hand over a spreading red spot on his white-pressed shirt. He staggered against the far wall, trying to hold his balance.

"S-shot?" His voice was high and whispery. It was the last thing he said before slumping to the floor, leaving a streak of rose-colored liquid on the wall behind him.

"KAIT!" Yui screeched, her voice cracking as she used her weak arms to pull herself out of the bed. She hit the cold floor, sending a wave of pain throughout her entire body. But Kait didn't respond; her back was to her sister, who was soaking the floor with blood through a shredded hole in the fabric of her little hot-pink sundress; her favorite color. Her favorite dress. It was the same color as Yui's hair.

"Kait, please, please, you're gonna be okay, I'm right here!" Yui stretched out her hand, trying to drag herself over towards her little sister. But her broken body was too heavy, despite her small size. She was just too weak; too incapable; but she couldn't give up. She managed to pull herself closer, close enough to grab her sister's bloody hand.

And look into her fading eyes, one last time.

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_A/N- ;-; Sadness. _


	4. Rose Petals on His Hands

**Promise**

_-Chapter Three-_**  
**_~Rose Petals On His Hands~_

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_ Disclaimer:__I do not own Angel Beats, nor am I gaining any profit from this fanfiction.  
_

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"If I hadn't jumped in front of that car... We wouldn't be here. Not in this hospital, not in this room. Not in front of that window. Kait wouldn't-..."

Yui's petite hands balled the sheets covering her broken and useless legs as her throat tightened.

Today had been the day of Kait's funeral. She hadn't been allowed to go.

Because she couldn't get out of the bed.

The man who had shot at her had climbed up the fire escape. It just so happened to be in front of her window. He had no vendetta, hadn't known the family. He was a fleeting shadow that had gotten away just as soon as he fired his gun through Yui's family. He just wanted to kill. And so he did.

_"Kait..." _Yui's voice had left her that night. She had screamed so long and so loud, waiting for someone to come. Someone to help. Yet still no one had heard for the longest time; no one could hear her sobs as she watched the life fade out of her younger sibling; watched as her blood pooled on the marble floor, darker than the reddest rose. Medical equipment beeped quietly; serene, despite Yui's panic.  
_  
_She hated herself. Her selfishness did this. Until the moment of Kait's death, she was certain that she hated this new life. Everything about it was absolutely insignificant when compared to her experiences in over there...

For the first time in her new existence, Hideki Hinata wasn't on her mind. As her tears fell onto the stark white sheet, as her silent throat ached with sobs, she couldn't only think of Kait. Her petite frame, her round eyes and loud voice. That infectious energy that made even the most exasperated person smile when she was around. Everything about her had been just right. Even her little snaggletooth... Why had this innocent girl died? It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair!

Her mind flooded with memories, memories she didn't even know she held. Memories she had discarded; seemingly pointless experiences that Yui had shoved away into the corners of her mind. She had only been thinking of the future. She wondered if Kait knew how much Yui had loved her. Yui couldn't recall saying it often... she was always thinking of what was to come, waiting, considering her family nothing but a minor stepping stone.

"I'm such an awful person..." She tried to speak; her voice was nothing but a thin whimper. "I-I'm so sorry, nee-chan... I'm so sorry-..." She cursed her stupidity, her selfishness, her useless legs. Why had she done this to herself? Because of... a boy? Because one boy whom had been a stranger to her until her death had said that he would marry her? It was absurd; him finding her. Even if he hadn't been bluffing, the world was huge. What if he hadn't gained his memories? What if he was on the other side of the globe? Surely he had known that there was no chance of finding her. Absolutely none. Of course; he couldn't have been serious. It was... it was a lie.

And she had believed it. So damn easily. How naïve.

"You-... you bastard..." Her tears stopped, drying on her fair cheeks as rage lit her eyes up with a dark fire. "I hate you..."

* * *

"Stop trembling, you fool. You screwed up, but it coulda been worse. Hell, you fired a warnin' shot right into his gut. Nice." The one known as "Charity" raised a small sake cup to his thin lips. His mouth curved into a smile as he threw his arm over the back of the couch, staring at the shivering male opposite him. "Heh, one of the grunts will finish the slimy bastard off, no problem. You just marked him for us; not bad, for your first job! Killin' his kid's just gonna inject a lil' bit of fear into him. Heheh."

These words fell onto the deaf ears of the one called "Faith". Tan hands still shook; these hands had been useless for two entire days now. Ever since he had pulled the trigger, "Faith" had been unable to grasp anything without dropping it to the ground clumsily. Shooting a gun was easy. Shooting someone was hard; killing an innocent person instead of a guilty one was-... it was absolutely-...

The empty sake cup smacked onto the coffee table between them. Before he could register what happened, Charity had his opposite by the collar, his dark eyes boring into those wide cerulean ones. "Charity" shook "Faith" by the collar, his teeth gnashed together in anger. The force caused a lock of deep navy hair to spill out from under "Faith's" cap; the same one he had been wearing since he had attempted to assassinate Brutus Takamura. He still hadn't changed out of the gear he had used that night; changing his clothes had been the last thing on his mind.

"Come on, you little bastard! This is the killin' business, you can't expect it to be easy, alright? So wipe that blank look off your pasty face and act right before the boss gets pissed and drops you, too! Don't you know what happens when the boss thinks you ain't gonna be a good "employee?" What the hell is your problem, huh!?" "Charity's eyes were lit up with dark flecks of fear; he was the one who had trained "Faith," after all. If "Faith" suddenly decided he wasn't cut to kill, then "Charity" would most likely be the one losing his life.

"Go away..." He uttered. With a disgruntled snort, "Charity" released him and stomped out of the room, making sure to slam the door behind him. "Faith" didn't even notice. It was... her... he had killed _her_! The one he had been waiting for! The one he was saving up money to find. The one he joined this criminal organization for... all for her!

"And I-... I killed her..." He had tried to convince himself that it was coincidence. After all, the woman he had shot looked longer that she had before. But he, too, looked different then he did back at SSS. He was a bit more rugged now. A bit more serious now. Or perhaps it was his circumstance? Either way, he saw her, standing over a hospital bed. He jumped when he saw her face, smiling, laughing, and so unbelievably young. He had jumped... and he had shot. He had fled, to scared to go back, to scared to look inside that room. "Faith's" mission had been to kill Brutus Takamura. He had failed, and didn't give a damn about those consequences.

Tears welled up in his ocean-dyed orbs as his throat tightened with sobs. "Yui... Yui, I-... I'm so sorry..." Placing his head on his knees, Hideki Hinata began to cry.


	5. Rose Petals Upside Down

**Promise**

_-Chapter Four-_**  
**_~Rose Petals Upside Down~_

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_Disclaimer:__ I do not own Angel Beats, nor am I gaining any profit from this fanfiction.  
_

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"Mom, I heard what happened! Are you alright!? What went on, what happened!? Was someone trying to hurt you, mom?!"

Haruka heaved a sigh as she kicked off her shoes at the front door of her tiny home. The yelling was getting closer, and stomps could be heard approaching her. She turned her eyes up to see her son standing in the doorway, his slim chest rising and falling with deep breaths. He stood taller than her now, and she was very proud of how mature and polite he had turned out to be. But right now, he was being a headache.

"Yuzuru, calm down a little bit, okay? I was on my way home when the shooting happened remember? I-..." She was cut short as he darted forward, crushing his mother in a hug. She dropped her sentence, hugging him back. She blew a strand of his pale red hair out of her face and then released him, looking him over. Burgundy eyes were filled with tears, and he reached forward to hug her again. She intercepted, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Yuzuru, please! I'm here in front of you, and I'm perfectly fine!"

He stepped back, staring down at his socked feet for a moment. "I know that, but I really thought something had happened to you. They said on the news which room it was, and I remembered you telling me about that patient. I'm sorry, I just..." His shoulders seemed to sink a little.

Haruka gave a sympathetic smile; after the death of her husband, she was left alone and childless. Not knowing what else to do, she decided that she wanted to adopt, but was denied because of her meager paycheck and long working hours. Still, in her free time, she volunteered, and became particularly close to a five-year old boy, a quiet, polite child with long red hair and big, mournful eyes. She grew close to him, and confided in her that he hated the name the orphanage gave him. He hated everything about the place, except for her. When she finally got the chance to adopt, it was more like bringing a family member home from the airport after a long vacation. He was meant to be a part of her small family, she knew it. And just as soon as they could, she changed his name from Ogiki to Yuzuru, which was how he introduced himself when they had first met.

But that had been over ten years now. Still, he was a quiet, polite, friendly boy. The only downside was that he tended to worry himself to death about everything. School, girls, society, the news... anything would set him on edge and have him biting his nails.

She reached out once more and enveloped him in a hug, letting out a small chuckle. "No, I'm sorry, honey. I should have called."

"Damn right!" He muttered, pouting.

"You watch your mouth!" She let him go, playfully swatting him on the head. "Now, how about you tell me about your day? How are your grades?" She settled into their worn out brown couch; stifling a yawn.

"Eh, I still have a few low marks in Social Sciences." He flopped onto their only other piece of sitting furniture, a cracked leather recliner. "I just don't get some of that stuff." There was a pause, and then: "but I saw her again today, mom. That girl."

"...Girl?"

"Yeah, she's been following me, but she doesn't go to my school. I see her almost every day when I'm walking home. She's got long, white hair and golden eyes. Maybe she's a guardian angel, she's too pretty to be human. And when I reach out to grab her arm and ask why she's following me, she just... almost disappears, I'm serious!"

"Maybe she is an angel, honey. God sent a beautiful angel down just for you to date, since you're too shy to ask any of the girls in your school out." Haruka joked.

"Hey, that's not funny! And I do ask them out, they just don't say yes!" He barked, leaning back in his chair as his mind began to wander. An angel? Angels weren't real. So why did his body go numb at the thought of it?

* * *

"Try and move the wheels, can you rotate them?"

Yui's weak arms trembled, and finally the wheelchair moved forward an inch. She let out a whooshing breath, placing her tired hands in her lap. "I tried but... I'm tired now."

"Well Yui, you did better than I expected. Better than we all expected."

Her voice was quiet, and she kept her eyes turned down, away from the day nurse who was scribbling things onto a clipboard. "So... I did good?"

"Better than expected." The nurse repeated robotically, not looking up. Yui sat quietly for a moment; she could hear her blood pounding in her ears as her heart raced. Catching the nurse by surprise, she lashed out and slung her arm up, hitting the bottom of the clipboard and sending it flipping up into the nurse's face. It clattered to the floor as the young woman checked her nose for blood.

"You say better than expected when you people don't expect shit from me! If I drink a sip of water, you all act shocked! Why don't you just tell the truth? I'm getting weaker every day, and you just can't bear to tell me that nothing is going to fix me! There's no magic potion that can fix my spine, no amount of treatment is going to get me going long enough to even walk myself to the damn bathroom!" Tears streamed down her pallid face; her knuckles turned white as she gripped the arms of her wheelchair. "I threw my life away, and for what?! For what?! I killed Kait because I'm so damn selfish!" The broken girl bent her head and began to cry. Tears streamed down her face, and she could feel in the pit of her small gut that this cascade would never end. This was the way her life was going to be. And there was no-one else to blame.

"Now, Yui-..." The young nurse placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, but it slid off and fell by her side instead. What was she supposed to say to her? What could possibly help?

"Just leave me alone! Go! Please!" She gasped through tears, her face hidden in her weak hands. Not knowing what else to do, the nurse obliged, leaving Yui alone.

And how very alone she felt. Her mother never came by, her father was in the same hospital yet he refused to enter the room. As a matter of fact, it was probably because of her father that Mrs. Takamura never entered the room. He had never liked Yui, never really felt that she was a part of the family. She wasn't right in his eyes. And throwing herself in front of a moving vehicle only further proved his point.

"Look at yourself." She stated quietly, speaking to the only person in the room; herself. Her eyes shot up, seeking out a mirror. "Look at what you've gone and done to yourself, Yui!" there was one above the makeshift dresser in the room. Weakly, she rolled to it, but she could only see the top of her head this way. Messy, red, limp hair. "I want you to see what you've become!" Locking the wheels of the chair, she pushed up on the bars with all of her might, lifting herself off of the seat. She tried to move her right leg, but couldn't feel a thing. It twitched, but she couldn't feel it. "Just because I'm paralyzed doesn't mean I can't move!" She growled, knowing how dumb she must have sounded. But it made sense to her; the lack of feeling didn't mean the lack of ability.

To her own shock, her legs stiffened. By balancing on them like fragile, cast-encrusted stilts that didn't feel as if they were made of her own flesh and bone, she stood, looking in the mirror.

She had expected to see her sunken face, her black-rimmed eyes and more of that lank, greasy-looking hair. Yui couldn't do anything about these things; she was, after all, in the care of the staff. There were some things she just couldn't do alone. Quite a few, in fact. Her eyes were expecting a puckered, skeletal body hidden beneath a old, yellowed hospital gown that had probably been in a closet somewhere since the hospital's grand opening a million years ago.

But she didn't see this.

She saw a girl, beautiful because she was cute, cute because she didn't know she was beautiful. Bright red hair that hung vibrantly against soft, pink cheeks. Too large eyes that twinkled with mischief. A too large mouth that probably sputtered too many words. Her body was young and lively, perhaps a bit too much skin exposed due to her punk-rock school-girl uniform. There were the little details, too. Silly, short pigtails that almost looked like antennae, a snaggletooth, loads of mascara-…

Yui reached forward, placing her petite palm against the cold glass. The girl reflected did the same. Of course, it was her, but how she looked at her happiest. Did she even know she was happy then? No, she was happiest when she was with Kait.

"Then what am I looking at?" She whispered, tears still leaking down her face. "I don't look like this, not anymore. I'm so ugly and weak now-…"

"Since when?" The girl in the mirror snapped, hands perched on her trim hips. "Whatever, you know better than that! How long have you been letting things like that get you down!? We're still strong! So what if Hinata lied to us! So what! He was always an idiot anyways, you know! We're gonna kick his ass, that's what we're going to do!"

"You dumbass, can't you see I'm not going to be kicking anything anymore?!" Yui screeched, motioning to her body. "So you go do it yourself and tell me how it goes!"

"YUI!" Her lively reflection barked. Her voice quieted, and once again the motions in the mirror matched the girl in the hospital room. "It doesn't matter what you look like, or anything like that." For a moment, Yui saw her true reflection, and it was shockingly ugly, but it quickly faded away, revealing her vivacious form once more. "You still see yourself like this. And that's what really matters. You're strong, really strong! Fix your mistakes, come on! It isn't like you to mope! You've been doing it since you got this new life! Let's be happy again! Like in the SSS, with all the others!"

To be happy again… was it really possible? As Yui opened her mouth to speak once more, her right knee gave out, sending her tumbling to the floor. Pain exploded from her right arm as she landed awkwardly on it, causing her to let out a yelp of pain. "Help! Someone, help!"

_"Happy!? HAPPY!? The only thing that will make me happy right now is for this pain to go away!" _She thought, staring upside down at the doorway from her position on the floor. She willed someone, anyone to come in and see her this way. "Someone, help!" Finally, a pair of legs glad in jeans dashed into her vision.

"Whoah, what happened?! Don't move! I'll get my mom!" A male voice called to her, and the legs disappeared just as quickly as they had come.

The voice echoed in her head, bouncing around in her thoughts, banging against the side of her brain as a spark of life flashed into her large eyes.

"Is that you?" Her lower lip trembled. "_Yuzuru Otonashi?!"_

* * *

_**A/N**__**: **__So! I know I said it was on hiatus, but I had the sudden urge to watch an episode of Angel Beats the other day, and whoosh, like magic, the desire to write more of this._

_I may not have portrayed it very clearly, but Yui isn't seeing an alter ego, she's kind of having a mental battle. Deep down, she's still strong and independent, yet outside she just can't get a break. So I thought a nice argument with herself would get her in the right mindset._

_Read and review, my dears. 3 _


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